Meta

Citing & contact

Please note that the information I am sharing on my blog is for the use of all those who read it. Of course, if you do find anything of benefit to your studies, then refer back to original sources I have cited or - if the source is me - then cite this blog.

If you wish to contact me, you can do so via commenting on any of my posts and I will respond to you. I am happy to liaise via email (at request), though will not display my email address here for privacy reasons.

Advertisements

Relics of the past in the urban streetscape

Our urban areas were once not urban areas, but expanses of countryside that, over time, were built upon, sprawled outwards, and ate up even more countryside on the ever-growing periphery. For this reason, we can certainly come across mature and veteran trees, which signal previous landscape character and use. In the UK, where much of the landscape was cultivated for crops and converted for livestock, it is of little (but still nonetheless welcome) surprise when we spot the occasional lapsed pollard, or even an avenue of trees.

Earlier today, whilst out having a look at the same oak apple cynipid I posted about here, I paid a visit to a nearby street that is home to a very majestic lapsed oak pollard. Other old oaks are dotted about the landscape, and with a long line of very old oaks nearby (around 5 or 6), I suspect that this is, along with the others, a retained tree from an old hedgerow, field boundary, or pasture.

It’s funny, really. I do wonder sometimes whether people along that road realise what they’re looking at. The tree is, after all, a window into the past. Granted, it’s a tree that blocks out light and drops leaves, but more importantly than that it’s a relic of what used to be, and therefore has significant landscape value (ecologically and historically, in particular). Protecting such old trees, even in urban areas, is, at least in my opinion, critical.

A lovely lapsed oak pollard. The stort trunk is very large – this image doesn’t quite capture the size.From the other side, we can appreciate its presence a bit more.And in a wider shot, we can see houses on both sides of the street. No doubt that this is a very important tree.